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Dense, complex network of threads in many colors.

Listen to a spiderweb

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 1 hour ago

Spiders are master builders, expertly weaving strands of silk into intricate 3D webs. Now, scientists report they have translated the complex structure of a web into music. Listen here.
A large brown spider with big black eyes crawling down a door frame.

A case against killing spiders

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 2 hours ago

An entomologist explains why it’s a good idea to be nice to the spiders you encounter and consider a live-and-let-live policy.
A table lined with newspaper, with pottery on top ranging from mostly intact vessels to shards. In the upper left corner, a female scientist is looking over her notes.

Earliest known honey jars in Africa are 3,500 years old

Posted by in Human World | 2 days ago

An ancient people with a sweet tooth – the Nok culture of sub-Saharan Africa – used terracotta pots to hold honey 3,500 years ago. They may be the earliest confirmed honey collectors in Africa.

Asian man in black tee shirt, inside a space vehicle.

Astronaut Soichi Noguchi sets a new space record

Posted by in Human World | 2 days ago

Congratulations to Japan’s astronaut Soichi Noguchi, who this month was awarded the Guinness World Record for the longest time between spacewalks: 15 years and 214 days.

Martian hill named to honor Curiosity scientist

Posted by in Human World | Space | 3 days ago

NASA has given the name Rafael Navarro Mountain to a hill in Gale Crater on Mars, where the Curiosity rover has been exploring since 2012. Navarro, a mission scientist, died in January 2021 from Covid-19.
Stone walls and structures.

Egyptologists unearth a 3,000-year-old ‘lost golden city’

Posted by in Human World | 1 week ago

The long-sought “lost golden city” of Aten has been found near Luxor, Egypt, in the Valley of Kings. “The mission expects to uncover untouched tombs filled with treasures,” the scientists said.
Painting of lots of blue and yellow fish

5 ways fish are like you and me

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 1 week ago

Fish are more like humans than you might realize.
Poster for International Dark Sky Week.

International Dark Sky Week is April 5 to 12

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Human World | 2 weeks ago

Celebrate dark night skies and help limit light pollution by raising awareness through the annual International Dark Sky Week, April 5 to 12, 2021. Find links to global events here.
Bright red blobby seahorse shape on dark red background.

Awaiting the next historic solar storm

Posted by in Human World | Sun | 3 weeks ago

Researchers uncovering eyewitness accounts of powerful solar storms of the past say we should expect at least one super-storm from the sun per century.
Explosion-like many-hued curly and straight lines and spots of light on a black background.

Evidence of a brand new physics?

Posted by in Human World | 3 weeks ago

Physicists at the LHCb Collaboration at CERN have found particles not behaving the way they should according to the guiding theory of particle physics. Could it be evidence of a brand new physics?

Basket of eggs with brightly colored, intricate designs painted on them.

When is Easter in 2021?

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Human World | 3 weeks ago

In 2021, Easter Sunday will fall on April 4. How the date of Easter is determined, here.

57th anniversary of North America’s biggest earthquake

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 3 weeks ago

On Good Friday, March 27, 1964, south-central Alaska heaved under one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded, registering a 9.2 on the Richter scale.
A collection of small bright white blobs with glowing tails, falling together.

Space debris lights up the sky over Pacific Northwest

Posted by in Human World | Space | 3 weeks ago

A SpaceX rocket launched on March 4 that failed to perform a deorbit burn reentered Earth’s atmosphere on March 25, 2021. It created a startling light display over Seattle and Portland.
A field of orange and blue flowers.

How to make beneficial insects welcome in your garden

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 3 weeks ago

Ladybugs, lacewings, spiders, and bees can help your garden grow. How to help these beneficial insects.
Dense star field with yellowish white and blue swirls and clouds.

Milky Way mosaic took 12 years, 1250 hours

Posted by in Human World | Space | 4 weeks ago

Through 12 years of photographing and stitching together individual astrophotography images, Finnish astrophotographer J-P Mestavainio has created a 1.7 gigapixel panorama of our Milky Way galaxy.

Map of China with moving blob of orange.

Air pollution returning to pre-Covid levels

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 4 weeks ago

In early 2020, satellite data showed a decline in air pollution coinciding with Covid lockdowns. One year later, as lockdown restrictions loosen and regular activity resumes, air pollution is bouncing back to pre-Covid levels.
A man lies in a bed slightly tipped toward his head.

Long trip to Mars may cause astronauts to misread emotions

Posted by in Human World | Space | 4 weeks ago

A study here on Earth simulating the weightless conditions of space travel showed that the longer the participants were exposed to a low-gravity environment, the more they perceived facial expressions as angry.
Large winged insect with big red eyes on a twig.

Billions of cicadas may be coming soon to trees near you

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 1 month ago

One of the largest groups of 17-year cicadas, Brood X, last emerged from underground in 2004. The next generation will begin arriving in April 2021.
Close-up of a calendar with the text March 15 in focus and a red pushpin sticking into it.

Beware the Ides of March? Why?

Posted by in Human World | 1 month ago

The Ides of March are March 15. We in modern times probably wouldn’t know about them – or know we’re supposed to beware of them – if it weren’t for William Shakespeare.
Smoke from a wildfire behind mountains, truck on road in foreground.

Small temperature increase can cause bigger wildfires, more often

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 1 month ago

A new study shows that just a half a degree of global temperature rise markedly increases fire danger on the most widely inhabited continents.